Ahead of Earth Day, Senator Markey Introduces Package of Legislation to Protect and Mobilize All Ages Against Climate Change

Statements of Support (PDF)

Washington (April 21, 2026) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, the Environment and Public Works Committee, and the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee-today announced the introduction of a package of legislation during Earth Week focused on advancing environmental justice, climate preparedness and resilience, and climate health and education. These bills would address maternal and infant mortality, support climate change education and awareness for students, support youth leadership in federal environmental decision-making, provide frontline workers with hazard pay during disasters, and protect seniors by enabling safer and more resilient homes.

"Climate change puts all of us in danger, no matter what stage of life we're in-so we all have a stake in responding to it," said Senator Markey. "For babies being born today, kids heading off to school, workers on the job, and seniors at home, climate change is a real threat, and it urgently must be confronted and addressed. My Earth Day legislation would protect those at greatest risk of the dangers of climate change-babies, people of color, seniors, people with disabilities, and frontline workers-while teaching and empowering young people to help us fight back. I am proud to work with my partners across the Senate and House on these solutions to combat the climate crisis."

The Protecting Moms and Babies Against Climate Change Act

Bill Text (PDF)

House Lead: Representative Lauren Underwood (IL-14)

"The evidence is clear: extreme heat, air pollution, and other effects of climate change are endangering moms and babies, and we need to take action," said Rep. Underwood. "The Protecting Moms and Babies Against Climate Change Act invests in community-based programs to help protect families from the health risks of climate change. I'm pleased to join Senator Markey in introducing this legislation, which is a critical part of the Momnibus, our legislative package to end our nation's maternal health crisis. By passing the Protecting Moms and Babies Against Climate Change Act, and the comprehensive Momnibus, we can save moms' lives."

The Protecting Moms and Babies Against Climate Change Act would address climate change risks to pregnant and postpartum people and their infants. The legislation-a pillar of the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act to address the high rate of maternal deaths and persisting disparities in maternal health outcomes, led by Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Representatives Underwood (IL-14) and Alma Adams (NC-12)-would create a federal grant program to invest in community-based efforts to mitigate exposure to extreme heat, air pollution and other climate change risks that pose a threat to vulnerable pregnant and postpartum people and infants. The legislation would also provide funding for health profession schools to ensure that future health care workers are prepared to support maternal and infant health in light of increasing risks from climate change.

Specifically, the Protecting Moms and Babies Against Climate Change Act would:

1. Invest in community-based programs to identify and address climate change-related maternal and infant health risks, especially in communities of color;
2. Provide funding to health professional schools to protect vulnerable mothers and babies from climate change risks;
3. Establish a National Institutes of Health (NIH) consortium to advance research on climate change and birth; and
4. Develop a comprehensive strategy to identify and designate climate change risk zones for vulnerable mothers and babies.

The Climate Change Education Act

Bill Text (PDF)

House Leads: Representatives Debbie Dingell (MI-06) and Julia Brownley (CA-26)

"We cannot fully confront the existential threat of climate change without a thorough understanding of the impact it will have on our lives and the steps we must take to combat it. Students learning these lessons today will be on the frontlines of the fight to save our planet. With this legislation, we will ensure our students and teachers are equipped with the knowledge and support they need to help us address this challenge today and in the future," said Rep. Dingell.

"The climate crisis has left no corner of the globe unscathed, especially not my home state of California," said Rep. Brownley. "From longer wildfire seasons to rising sea levels to increasingly frequent and deadly natural disasters, climate change is already wreaking havoc on our communities, ecosystems, infrastructure, and economy. As this crisis worsens, younger and upcoming generations stand to suffer the most. That is why we must invest in education opportunities that will equip students with a thorough understanding of climate change and the skills needed to curb its effects, safeguard public health, and secure a competitive clean energy economy. Climate literacy is a critical solution to a problem that will disproportionately impact today's youth, and it is our moral imperative to help them build a climate-resilient future for generations to come."

The Climate Change Education Act would establish a Climate Change Education Program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to provide grants and technical assistance to state and local education agencies, institutions of higher learning, professional associations and academic societies, and youth corps organizations. The legislation would help ensure that graduating students are trained to live, work, and lead in a world increasingly impacted by climate change.

The Climate Change Education Act would support climate literacy by authorizing $50 million per year between fiscal years 2027 and 2032 for grants and cooperative agreements between NOAA and education entities. The bill stipulates that 40 percent of the funds for higher education institutions and youth corps organizations would be directed to environmental justice communities.

The Youth Climate Leadership Act

Bill Text (PDF)

House Lead: Representative Maxwell Frost (FL-10)

"Young people have the most at stake in the climate crisis, yet for too long they've been left out of the decisions shaping their future," Rep. Frost. "The Youth Climate Leadership Act is about changing that, ensuring young people have a real seat at the table and a direct role in shaping the policies that will define their future. At a time when federal leadership is rolling back climate progress, we cannot afford to leave young voices behind. We must act now to protect the progress we've made and empower the next generation to lead in building a safer, more sustainable future."

The Youth Climate Leadership Act restores the existence of the National Environmental Youth Advisory Council (NEYAC) at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and creates more youth advisory councils at relevant federal agencies (Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, and Interior). Under President Biden, EPA Administrator Regan created the Youth Advisory Council with the goal of ensuring the next generation of Americans had a seat at the table when it came to tackling the climate crisis and ensuring the U.S. is a global leader in the fight to protect our environment. The council was composed of young people from all over the country focused on putting forth comprehensive solutions that can be implemented at the federal level.

The Youth Advisory Councils would make recommendations on programs to help local governments address environmental issues in disadvantaged communities, performance measures to quantify the impact of climate change and other environmental harms, and other topics around environmental justice, climate change mitigation and resilience, and pollution reduction. The bill provides $250,000 annually to each agency for the purposes of operating the Youth Advisory Councils, for total annual funding of $1.25 million.

The Hazard Pay for Health Care Heroes Act

Bill Text (PDF)

House Leads: Representatives Summer Lee (PA-12) and Ro Khanna (CA-17)

"I'm proud to reintroduce the Hazard Pay for Health Care Heroes Act because the health care workers who keep this country healthy and care for our loved ones every single day deserve more than our gratitude. These workers deserve real protection, real support, and pay that reflects the risks they take and the lives they save. From nurses and home care workers to environmental services staff, technicians, and every worker who keeps our health care system up and running, these are the people who show up for us again and again in moments of crisis. As extreme weather, public health emergencies, and other disasters become more frequent, we have a responsibility to show up for them too. That means valuing their labor, protecting their safety, and making clear that our health care system does not function without them," said Rep. Lee.

The Hazard Pay for Health Care Heroes Act would empower the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide hazard pay and safety equipment for essential workers in health care and supporting services who care for patients during emergencies and extreme weather disasters.

Specifically, the Hazard Pay for Health Care Heroes Act would provide funding to:

1. Provide hazard pay to essential health care workers-up to $25,000 a year-for their work during an emergency or disaster declaration;
2. Equip health care workers with safety measures like personal protective equipment; and
3. Secure safer, alternative modes of transportation for health care workers when their commutes are made hazardous by a disaster.

The Survival Aid for Emergencies (SAFE) Through Medicare Act

Bill Text (PDF)

House Lead: Representative Maxwell Frost (FL-10)

"Florida and our nation deserve a disaster-ready health care system that will help working people and seniors be able to afford to safely weather any storm," said Rep. Frost. "It's unacceptable that in a state where we regularly live through hurricanes, flooding, and severe rain, folks on fixed incomes are one natural disaster away from losing the life-sustaining medication or medical devices they need to survive. The SAFE Through Medicare Act will help Florida seniors and folks with disabilities be protected during the worst mother nature can throw at us."

The SAFE Through Medicare Act would require Medicare to cover the full cost of equipment medically necessary for those who are at-risk in the event of a climate disaster-ensuring seniors and people with disabilities have the air conditioners, refrigerators, generators, solar batteries, and more that they need to safely weather any storm or natural disaster with their life-sustaining medications or medical-equipment at hand.

Specifically, the SAFE Through Medicare Act would require Medicare coverage for 100 percent of the cost of home resiliency services or items that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) determines are medically necessary for someone who is medically at-risk in the event of a climate or manmade disaster, including extreme heat, extreme cold, flooding, and loss of power. In determining whether a service or item is medically necessary, HHS would consider geographic risk, regional history of disasters, medical reliance on sensitive equipment and supplies, and chronic medical conditions and comorbidities.

The Home Modifications for the Climate Crisis Act

Bill Text (PDF)

The Older Americans Act provides support to allow older Americans to age in place through home repairs, renovations, accessibility adaptations, and structural modifications. The Home Modifications for the Climate Crisis Act would clarify that home modification funding under the Older Americans Act can cover modifications related to heating, cooling, air quality, energy efficiency, and assistance with utility and power expenditures to help seniors stay in their homes.

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